ORONO, Maine — The M Club has supported University of Maine athletics since its inception in 1932. The organization is composed exclusively of former UMaine letterwinners and other alumni who have been awarded the Honorary M.

“We’re kind of the team behind the team,” said M Club President Guy Whitten of Bangor, a 1963 UMaine graduate who competed on the Black Bears track and field team.

The M Club board of directors, including several members emeriti, consists of alumni spanning graduating classes from 1957 to 2004.

Quarterback Jake Eaton, who led the University of Maine to back-to-back NCAA playoff appearances, is among six former Black Bear standouts in the 2016 class of the University of Maine Sports Hall of Fame.

Also selected for enshrinement in the 181-member hall are All-America baseball player Andy Hartung, all-conference field hockey star Margaret Henrick, wrestling figure and journalist Bob McPhee, track and field standout Johanna Riley and soccer player Edward “Ted” Woodbrey Jr., who will be inducted posthumously.

The group will be honored during a banquet and awards ceremony scheduled for Sept. 30.

Tickets are $50 per person, $25 for children 10 and under. Online orders can be made here or, by mail, make checks to University of Maine Foundation, M Club SHOF, and mail to University of Maine Foundation, Buchanan Alumni House, Orono, ME 04469-5792. Names will be placed on the guest list at the door. For questions, call Athletic Development at 207-581-1130.

Festivities begin at 6 o'clock with a cocktail hour, followed by dinner and induction ceremonies at 6:45. Rich Kimball, the voice of University of Maine football for two decades and host of "Downtown with Rich Kimball" on WZON radio in Bangor, will be the master of ceremonies.

Bob McPhee, 19 years my junior, is one of my heroes. Has been for 35 years.

When he wheeled into the beginning newswriting course in 1981 in Lord Hall in Orono, a lot changed for the professor and for the students.

As the professor, I had to accommodate his chair and his paralysis. His fellow students came to realize quickly that a bad night at beer pong wasn't the worst that could happen. Bob opened the professor's eyes, too. Until 1981, I had overlooked the value of sports in schools. But I realized that if Bob, with a life-lasting sports injury, wanted to make a life by following sports, I needed to take another look. I came to see the value, and I, too, became a follower.

Lord Hall was cramped, but we rearranged furniture and such to make way for the chair. Bob and I talked about the course. I could not change standards. Every student had to write a minimum number of stories each semester. Majors had to work on the Daily Maine Campus, the student newspaper. Spelling counted. (Spelling was not Bob's forte.) But I would see to it that whatever must be done so Bob could meet the standards set for all students would be done. He never asked for any other kind of treatment.

The newsroom was in the basement of Lord. No wheelchair access. The department put in a request for access. It didn't happen. And it kept not happening. Meantime, four people carried Bob downstairs each afternoon to work. At the end of the shift, four carried him back upstairs, and he rolled home in the dark. (I'm certain that Ernie Clark, who wrote the article in the BDN, was often one of the four hoisting Bob's chair.) After waiting way too long, we went public. As advisor to the Maine Campus, I wrote a letter to the editor saying that the university was not meeting its obligation to enable Bob to earn a degree. Buildings & Grounds crew started installing an elevator that day, and Bob was able to get himself to and from work. That was all he ever asked.

Still recall Bob coming into my office and typing out, "Is moi passing?" I was surprised at his concern. Bob had a solid grade, and it wasn't an F or a D. Or an A. But I realized that I, who had told him that all students were alike insofar as standards, had overlooked that Bob was like all students in other ways, too. He sweated his GPA. I showed him his line in the grade book, and he rolled out of the office, grinning.

I have two other long-standing images of Bob. One is of arriving several times in winter, after my 81-mile ride. I knew Bob was already there from his wheelchair tracks in the snow leading to the door. The other is of Bob sitting in his chair in a corner of the Dirigo gym, making notes at girls' basketball games. A working sportswriter. Gavin Kane always went to Bob's corner right after the game for the post-game interview.

The M Club was right on target picking Bob for the Hall of Fame. He is a UMaine grad, and his contribution to sports in Maine makes the grade. Congratulations, Bob. Thank you, M Club. Bob McPhee continues to inspire wherever he rolls, despite his protestations.

... The class also includes former Black Bear football star Mike DeVito, who played nine seasons in the NFL. He was a two-time all-conference selection and won the Roger Ellis Outstanding Lineman award twice. He played with the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs during his time in the NFL.

Other inductees include record-setting swimmer Chuck Martin; state champion runner Daniel Rearick; 1964 College World Series All-Tournament selection David Thompson; nine-time America East individual track and field champion Vicki Tolton; 2009 America East softball player of the year Ashley Waters; and broadcasting legend Gary Thorne.

The new class will be inducted at a ceremony set to take place on September 8.